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Electronic Flora of South Australia Species Fact Sheet

Pneophyllum submersiporum Penrose, sp. nov.

Phylum Rhodophyta – Class Florideophyceae – Order Corallinales – Family Corallinaceae – Subfamily Mastophoroideae

Thallus encrusting, epiphytic and affixed by cell adhesion. Structure pseudoparenchymatous; organisation dorsiventral; construction dimerous, consisting of a single ventral layer of branched filaments composed of non-palisade cells, and unicellular or multicellular simple or branched filaments that arise more or less perpendicularly from cells of ventral layer filaments, each filament composed of cells 2–14 µm in diameter and 2–18 µm long; epithallial cells terminating filaments at the thallus surface, distal walls rounded or flattened but not flared; cells of adjacent filaments joined by cell-fusions, secondary pit-connections absent; trichocytes present or absent, if present, usually occurring singly at thallus surface, not becoming buried within thallus.

Reproduction: Vegetative reproduction unknown. Gametangia, carposporangia, tetrasporangia and bisporangia produced in uniporate conceptacles.

Gametangial plants monoecious; carpogonia and spermatangia produced in separate conceptacles. Carpogonia terminating 3-celled filaments arising from the female conceptacle chamber floor. Mature female-carposporangial conceptacle roofs protruding above or flush with surrounding thallus surface, composed of 4–6 cells above the chamber, pores lacking coronas of filaments and submersed below surrounding thallus surface, conceptacle chambers 130–240 µm in diameter and 135–150 µm high. Carposporophytes developing within older female conceptacles after karyogamy, when mature composed of a large central fusion cell and gonimoblast filaments bearing terminal carposporangia. Spermatangial filaments unbranched, arising from the floor of male conceptacle chambers, mature male conceptacle roofs protruding above or flush with surrounding thallus surface, conceptacle chambers 40–55 µm in diameter and 30–45 µm high.

Tetrasporangial and bisporangial conceptacle roofs protruding above or flush with surrounding thallus surface, 4–6 cells thick above the chamber, pore canals lined with protruding cells, pores lacking coronas of filaments and submersed below surrounding thallus surface, conceptacle chambers 135–220 µm in diameter and 90–150 µm high; tetrasporangia and bisporangia usually peripheral to a central columella, sometimes scattered across the conceptacle chamber floor, mature sporangia zonately divided.

Type from Safety Cove, Port Arthur, Tas. (Platt & Woelkerling, 25.ii.1983); holotype in LTB (12808).


Distribution map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of SA

Distribution: Known from Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand, W. Aust., Point Sinclair, S. Aust., Phillip Island, Vic. and SE Tasmania.

Taxonomic notes: P. submersiporum occurs on Sargassum spp. and Zonaria spp. The species appears to be closely related to P. coronatum and is distinguished from it by the sunken pores of the tetrasporangial and carposporangial conceptacles and the lack of coronas of filaments surrounding the pores.

References: The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part IIIB

Author: D.L. Penrose

Publication: Womersley, H.B.S. (28 June, 1996)
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia
Rhodophyta. Part IIIB. Gracilarialse, Rhodymeniales, Corallinales and Bonnemaisoniales
Reproduced with permission from The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part IIIB 1996, by H.B.S. Womersley. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia.


Illustration in Womersley Part IIIA, 1996: FIG. 124.

Figure 124 image

Figure 124   enlarge

Fig. 124. Pneophyllum submersiporum (A, LTB, 13044; B, LTB, 12808). A. Plants epiphytic on Sargassum sp. B. Section of tetrasporangial conceptacle showing roof cells and submersed pore.


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